Machine for burnishing the blades of table-knives



(No ModeL) E. A. SBVERANGB.

MACHINE FOR BURNISHING THB'BLADESUF TABLEEKNIVBS. Ne. 327,327. Patented Sept. 29, 1885.

f Ven/Z071 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE..

EDVARD A. SEVERANGE, OF TURNERS FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR BURNISHING THE BLADl-:s'oF TABLE-KNIVES.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,327, dated September 29, 1885.

Application filed March 3, 1885.

To @ZZ w/wm, it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. SEVER- ANCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Turners Falls, in the county of Franklin and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Burnishing the Blades of Table-Knives and other Plated or SilveiVare, of which the following is a true and full specification.

To those whoare familiar with the manu facture of silver or plated ware the difficulty of properly burnishing it and the skill required to perform the work are well known, and, as it is'usually done by hand, it is a matter of considerable importance to provide a machine which will do the required work with care and rapidity. A burnishing-tool run by an ordinary machine over va surface of silver is liable to draw7 the silver and fail to give the uniformity of color desirable, and on account of these difficulties silver surfaces are most frequently burnished by hand; but as hand-work is necessarily slow the work is finished at considerable expense. In handmanipulation, too, the blade of a knife while being burnished rests uponv the burnishingtable, only partly supported at the handle, and forward of the bolster the fingers are held, as the tool is heavily pressed upon and rapidly moved lengthwise. The knife is thus bent, and frequently breaks, involving a total loss both of the knife and the silver which has been deposited upon it. The loss of stock and labor by such accidents is considerablepossibly two per cent. of the manufacture by hand. In my machineI avoid such accidents, and as the knives are moved in a frame, while the burnishing-tool is held in the hand, the work may be done with the same care and watchfulness as in hand-burnishing, and fully as perfect work may be done, and with much greater rapidity.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention Iand form part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation of the machine, showing the knives in position for Work. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. et is a detail showing the clamping and locking devices.

A is a stationary frame having the inside (No model.)

of the two posts slotted, and within which slides vertically a movable frame, B, down the back of which, in the middle, is a slot, b', the whole length. This movable frame also carries the revolving knife holder or clamp C and the rack D, composedv of vertical bars covered with rubber, buff, or wash-leather a, to protect the blades of the knives resting against them to be burnished. These bars may be of any number; but I have found six, supportingas many knives, convenient and economical.

The knife-holding clamp C is formed of two parts, b2 b3, each of which is provided with a slot, G3, and notches adapted to clasp the handles of the knives that are to be burnished. The two parts b2 b3 fit together with a rabbetjoint, and are held to place with reference to each other by means of a clamping-bolt, C', provided with thumb-pieces, and with reference to the reciprocating frame B by means of said bolt, the thumbpieces mentioned, and incline planes (t a, fixed to the back of the said reciprocating frame.

The clamping device C, or the portion of it b2, is provided with a pivot, d, set in a socket, d', of the swinging arm E, said arm being hinged to the frame B at the point di. By means of this swinging arm and pivot the clamping device C may be swung forward or backward when it is desirable to place or replace the articles to be burnished.

The reciprocating frame B is provided with an opening or slot, b, and on either side of said opening at the back of said frame is an ineline plane, one of which has its thin portion downward and the other the like portion upward. The bolt C of the locking device of the clamp has on one end a head, and the other end of same is provided with a pin, and by means of these the two thumb-pieces C2 Cs are held against washer b, interposed between the said thumbpieces and the clamping device G. The whole clamping device C maybe detached from the frame B when it is desirable to remove the articles that have been burnished, or it may be swung around by means of the swinging-arm E.

After the clamping device has been filled with knives to be burnished the thumb-piece C2 must be so turned upon its axis as to allow it to pass through the slot b', after which said ICO thumb-piece is revolved about a quarter of a revolution in orderv that its inner face'rnay ride upon the incline planes a a to draw the clamping device C tight against the front face of the reciprocating frame B to clamp the two parts of said device together and at the same time secure the said clamping device to the reciprocating frame.

The rack D is formed of horizontal and vertical pieces, forming a frame which is Xed to the movable frame B, and said rack is provided with vertical bars f, covered on their faces with soft leathers a2 or some other cushions, which may form suitable bearings to the knife-blades while the burnishing tool is beingpressed against them. Upon the two outsidev vertical: bars: of the raclnV D are placedpieces ofheavyleather b, intended as polishing-,surfaces for the burnishing-toohwhich in thegcourseof workis liable to become rough and therefore injurious to. the polished surfaceszof the knife-blades.

Upon one stile of the stationary frame A is pivoted a yrest,iF, provided with a longthin arm on. one ,end and a short weighted one, e, on the other end. Onv the opposite stile of the stationary frame is a holding-socket, d4, and on the returrrface of this latter stile is secured a springy latchY or catch, c, which, together with said socket (1*, holds the rest F in position while theoperator is holdingthe burnisher to its work.

In the operation of burnishing the operator holdsth'etool rmly upon the upper edge of thel rest Fand against the surfaces of the article's-as .the reciprocating frame B, connected by pitman G2 to the operating machinery, moves rapidly up and down. A slight press ure upon the spring-catch c releases the long arm of the restF, which, under the influence of the weighted portion e, swings upward and out of the way.

Io operate the machine, the rest being released and vhangingupright the knife holder or clamp, being filled with knives, is swung around into place. A turn of the thumbpiece draws the knife-blades securely against the bars in the rack l). The rest is thrown down, securing itself. Power is applied, and the blades move up and down with great rapidity. The burnishing-tool, bearing on the rest, is pressed against each blade in succession for a few seconds, with an occasional touch of the tool on the buffer, and one side of each blade is done. The rest is then thrown thethumb-piece loosened, the clamp C swung out and turned around on its pivot, swung back into place, and presenting the other or unburnished sides of the knives for operation. 'Ihe clamp with the burnished blades can be then taken out, and another, ready iilled, set in its place, or the blades can be separately changed by theburnisher.

Spoons, forks, and other ware may be similarly burnished by having bed-pieces and clamps with suitable forms to hold the articles to be worked.

I do not'claim to have been the first to pro duce an automatic burnishing-machine for silver-ware, and do not claim, broadly, protection for such.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the clamping device C, composed of parts bl b3, and having the bolt C and thumb-pieces G" C3, of the reciprocating frame and inclines a a', as and for the Ypurpose set forth.

2.V The combination, with the movable frame B, formed with bars provided with cushionhearings, of the clamping device G and the pivoted arm E, as and for the purpose specitied.

8. The combination, with the stationary frame A and rest F, provided with a bearingarm and a weighted arm, of the reciprocating frame B and devices, substantially as described, for clamping and holding the articles to be burnished, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

EDVARD A. SEVERANCE.

WVitnesscs:

JAMEs S. GRINNELL, E` D. SnvnRANcn. l 

